Soul Brothers
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: They were soul brothers, soul mates, two halves of the same whole fused joyously together for all eternity, and they completed each other, in the marvelous wonder of love, forever!  Slash.


Title: "Soul Brothers"  
>Author: Pirate Turner<br>Rating: R due to sexual content  
>Summary: They were soul brothers, soul mates, two halves of the same whole fused joyously together for all eternity, and they completed each other, in the marvelous wonder of love, forever!<br>Warnings: Slash, Established Pairing  
>Word Count: 1,830<br>Date Written: 9 July, 2011  
>Challenge: For the DiteysBlessings LJ comm's monthly challenge<br>Disclaimer: Jedediah, Octavius, Larry and Nicky Daly, Rexie, all other characters mentioned within, and Night at the Museum are & TM 20th Century Fox and any other rightful owners, none of whom are the author. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

"And that - " Jedediah began, grinning with mischievous success from ear to ear.

"Is how you entertain a dinosaur," Octavius concluded, his dark eyes sparkling joyously.

"That was _so_ cool!" their young audience exclaimed. He beamed down at them. "Thanks for letting me steer, guys!"

"No prob."

"You did well, young Gigantor," Octavius approved.

"Just do us a favor," Jed told him, "an' don't let yer paw find that remote."

"I won't," the boy promised and, as he set about hiding the instrument within the very chamber where they stood, he started glancing back over his shoulder at the two tiny men, his innocent eyes full of questions.

"What is it, pard?" Jed asked.

"Nothing," the boy said and shook his head.

Octavius strode forward, his hands perched imperially upon his hips as he gazed up at the lad. "Something troubles you, child," he declared. "What is it?"

"It's nothing really," the boy said. Having hidden the remote, he plopped down onto the nearest diorama and let his feet dangle off of its edge. The two tiny men raced over to him. Jed lassoed one of the kid's shoestrings, clasped Octavius' hand, and pulled them both up. The boy sighed, reached down, and picked them up off of his shoe. He laid down onto his back and turned onto his side as he laid them down onto the display.

"It's just . . . I've never really had many friends," he admitted shyly, "and you two are, like, the best of friends. You even finish each other's sentences." He shook his head sadly. "I could never have a friend as close as you guys. Dad say's you're two of a kind, like brothers or something. Is that true? Are you brothers?"

Jed's blue eyes blazed. "Heck no!" he exclaimed.

"Oh," the child remarked simply and hung his head as best he could in the position in which he laid.

Octavius gazed at the boy for a moment before making a decision that he felt only his imperial mind was equipped to make so swiftly, fully, and without doubt. "It is all right, Jedediah," he reassured his partner. "We can trust Nicholas with the truth. I can tell he is mature enough to comprehend our special bond."

Nick lifted his head with pride, but his smile disappeared at Jedediah's reaction. Jed's mouth dropped wide open; his eyes bugged out of his head. "WHAT?" he thundered. "YA GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME, OCTIE!"

"I assure you I am not," Octavius spoke, his smooth words causing Jedediah's mouth to hang open again. His soft, dark brown fingers pushed against the bottom of the blonde cowboy's jaw, gently closing his mouth for him. "He is our friend, and there is no reason why he should not know."

"YA GOTTA BE INSANE!" Jedediah fumed. "YA CAN'T TELL HIM!"

"Jedediah," Octavius' eyes sliced at him, "please trust me, . . . _brother_."

The simple term that his beloved Octavius called him caused Jed to be taken aback. His head jerked backwards and cocked slightly to one side. "Fine," he muttered after a moment and sat down right where he stood, his chin resting in his gloved hands. Octavius couldn't be crazy enough to tell the kid the truth, but this promised to be interesting, at least.

"We are not brothers in the term in which you are accustomed, young Nicholas," Octavius began, walking up to the boy's side and gazing up into his face. "I am from the greatest empire of them all; I am a Roman General. Jedediah, on the other hand - "

"Yeah," Nick cut him off, "Jed's a cowboy and an American. I get that. But Dad says you're like brothers."

"We are," Octavius agreed. "I never really had much call for friendship before coming here, only alliances. I did not even know what a friend was, not truly, until I met Jedediah and we at last ceased battling each other long enough to listen to one another. I did not realize until that night how lonely I had always been. There had always been something missing in my life, in my heart and soul, until I met Jedediah."

As Octavius had been talking, Jedediah, who was listening despite himself, had began to catch on to his secret love's plans. His heart warmed with every one of Octavius' regally spoken words, and when Octavius paused to look back at him, he found Jedediah standing right beside him, a big smile upon his face and a loving twinkle in his big, blue eyes.

"In this brave, unique warrior," Octavius continued, "I found what was missing, though I had not even realized before that I was not whole. He is my other half, perhaps not my better half as I have heard the phrase coined but my other half nonetheless. He is . . . " {The love of my life,} his sweet gaze told Jedediah, but both men knew they could not voice those words aloud. " . . . my very best friend. I suppose you could say that he is my soul brother."

"I knew it!" Nick exclaimed. "Ain't no guys so close without being brothers!"

Jed almost choked on the kid's words. Had they come from any one else, he would have challenged them, but as it was, he knew the child did not understand yet simply because he wasn't old enough to realize what he was seeing. "Got that right, pard," he drawled, casting a glance at the boy before gazing right back into his beloved Octavius' rich, deep, and dark brown eyes. His whole body burned to hold him close again, surround him with his loving arms, and feel every inch of their bodies pressing against each other.

The trio looked up as a yell boomed through the museum. "That's my Father," Nick said, rolling his eyes. "I better go before he really starts fussing. Thanks for letting me drive tonight!"

"Of course, it is an honor that you deserved," Octavius told the lad, gazing deeply into Jedediah's sweet, blue eyes, "although Jedediah here has always done the driving before. He is an excellent chariot racer."

Jed's cheeks darkened. "Only 'cause I got a great strategist at my side," he admitted.

"Jedediah?" Octavius asked.

"Yeah?"

"I believe the boy is gone."

Jedediah looked up and then around the room, a slow smile chasing across his mouth to fill his entire, handsome face. "He sure is," he said. They rushed to each other and bumped chests. Then their arms went around each other, and they held one another close as they'd been yearning to do all night long ever since awakening that evening.

"Did you honestly think I would tell the child the entire truth?" Octavius questioned.

"No." At Octie's stern look, Jed relented. "Okay. Yeah, I kinda did. But ya didn't give me any warnin' ya wan't going to!"

"I could not," Octavius returned, "with the child so close without drawing suspicion. His father would likely slay us if we were to allow the boy to know how deeply we love each other."

"Gigantor'd try," Jed agreed, "but we wouldn't let him win!"

"Together, we can best any foe," Octavius agreed, sliding against his beloved. His growing bulge lifted his toga, and he sashayed against Jed so that his weight came out from under and touched the cowboy's through his rawhide. "However, for the first time in my long existence, my love, I find that I prefer to avoid battle. I would much rather make peace."

"Peace th' word fer it now?" Jed asked, grinning, as his mouth angled in for Octavius'.

"Without peace, there can be no love," Octavius answered. "You have taught me that, my sweet soul brother, and much, much more."

Jed's eyes shimmered as he gazed into Octavius'. "Show me what I've taught ya, pard," he drawled, and Octavius kissed him before he could say another word.

They backed up slowly, their mouths entangled in a dance as old as time itself. Their hands swept over each other's bodies until Octavius found the back pockets on Jedediah's new trousers - Larry had had to supply him with new ones after Octavius and his sword had become a tiny bit too excited one night in the past week - and slipped his hands into them. He squeezed Jedediah, and Jed jumped deliciously against him.

"Ya Romans are tricky!" he exclaimed, grinning joyously.

"No more so than you cowboys," Octavius returned.

"Ya got that right!" They had now slipped behind a curtain, and Jed pressed Octavius against the wall, eager to be one with his soul mate once more. He kissed him again with sweet heat and all the passion and love he'd always feel for his wonderful partner alone, and then, slowly, he started to trail a series of blazing hot kisses down Octavius' arched neck. Octie's moans played music upon Jed's ears, and he didn't even mind when Octavius' hands running through his shaggy, blonde curls caused his hat to be knocked from his head.

Jedediah had been trying to blaze a new trail for as long as he could remember in his adult life. He'd been behind the building of the railroad and had been pushing his people to new heights, and yet when he'd finally found those exciting, new heights he'd been searching for for so long and so hard, they had had nothing to do with the railroad. His adventure, the blazing excitement of his life, and his love were all right here in his arms! Jed knew he was whole and agreed with everything Octavius had said earlier, even if his lover had left the most important truth out of his announcement.

They didn't have to tell the world that they loved each other, even though Jed was so proud to have Octavius in his life and heart, as Octavius was also proud to have Jed, that part of him wanted to scream out at the top of his lungs from the top of Rexie's head that he loved this exciting, intoxicating man and he loved him! Yet the world did not have to be told. Any one could see it if they looked at them, even if they didn't understand exactly what they were seeing.

They were whole, he thought as his mouth was conquered by Octavius' sweet and fiery lips. They were whole! They were in love! They were together and would always stand together, and that was all that really mattered!

He made love to his man right there in the shadows, and Octavius loved him back in full. They took turns conquering each other, but all throughout time, they never once ceased showing each other how much they would always love one another alone and the outside world that they were meant to be together and were truly two parts of one whole. They were soul brothers, soul mates, two halves of the same whole fused joyously together for all eternity, and they completed each other, in the marvelous wonder of love, forever!

**The End**


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